@ranos. Just skied through it today, lovely particularly for beginners. Why not flying and drive up in a hire car, sorry if it’s an environmental thing – this far out I’d imagine it’s the lowest cost option. It’s 2.5hrs mostly on motorways and while you may need chains for the last part it’s an easy enough task

Always liked the idea of Sparticus on the off-chance your cat gets called in the vet’s waiting room and people join in!

@Donald. Almost tempted to go full membership to upvote you

I’m trying some thin liners with sealskin mittens on my moped tomorrow. May resort to pogies if that doesn’t work!

Off to La Plagne with friends on Friday, bit of a trek from Geneva but got spooked booking stuff lower. 

I’m in the “meh” category for skiing so tend to only want to go every other year.

Had planned 10 days in Avoriaz with my family over new year but Pleurisy [hmm, sounds like a French resort!] put paid to that.

I can understand why drop rides make less sense to this forum as I personally don’t think they’re appropriate for most mountain biking.

I feel the risks are too high and wouldn’t be happy to leave someone behind

If you’re retiring soon I’d say dive in and enjoy an EV for a few years.

You can afford to regret it now and it’ll help you make a sensible longer term option in semi-retirement when the right decision is more important

Just my opinion

Really interesting.

I’m currently objecting to a temporary permitted detour that a farm has had in place for 5x rolling 3 -month periods.  They’ve done it to keep people away from their farm area but the detour is unwalkable terrain and so far that I can’t walk to school with my son.

What tends to happen is they claim a walker’s dog killed a chicken and they are free to change the footpaths/ROW how they like.

I’m 4.5 years in but experience/experienced the same feelings.  I’ve put it down to a sense of isolation (granted, not unique to a parent in this WFH-era) and am trying to address by connecting more with friends, seeing if a neighbour who alsso WFH fancies a walk and getting into the work-office a bit more (they downsized at xmas, before that there wasn’t much point going in as I felt more lonely there than at home).

I guess what I’m saying just because your concerns aren’t as great as others, they’re still as valid so take time to consider them before they grow into something harder to handle.

Yup, it is pretty thirsty.   A good run on petrol only would be 40 MPG.  The range in 2018 was 30 miles summer, 20 miles winter on 7.5Kw usable.  It’s now 22 miles summer, 15 miles winter on 5.3kw usable. 

It wouldn’t be what I’d buy now but 5 years back it was literally the only thing on the market that ticked all the boxes so I don’t regret it.

:) and yourself Edukator sorrt. I did see this.

Yeah. thanks Molgrips as I appreciate you’re not invested in PHEV but it’s important that arguments are balanced.

I’ve owned one for about 5 years and recall with horror on one hand the times I have forgotten to charge it.  It has an increasingly niche use case as full EV cars become more and more prevalant but if a PHEV meets someone’s use case it shouldn’t be discounted.  Ours has enabled us to go down to a single car which has been invaluable savings wise.

I’d just say the Op needs to be careful if they go this route that their needs don’t change as 40 MPG max on ICE (2015 Outlander) isn’t much fun when on EV I get about 4 or 5 miles per KW.

Hybrid then you can be hated by everyone! :)

Some really good views from people with different needs, experiences and tollerances – make the decision based on what you feel is right for you.

I’m a cat owner and would accept a ban if sensibly implemented. They are murderous little bastards!

If you use concrete, ensure you’re working in straight lines or 90 degree angles (I.e. You don’t have a bend of some kind in your boundary) otherwise in high winds the panels will pop out by not sitting perfectly in the concrete groove.

Ask me how I know! (lost 2 an hour ago, need to work out if ill screw up the post by drilling into it and fixing a baton to make the panel sit more securely

Here here.  I value the level discussion and informed views and can’t be doing with the drama. I’ll take the risk it’s a little rose tinted / echo chamber. 

We have a Russian in our house and out of respect don’t discuss the war, don’t play the news or generally discuss it

What’s peoples experience of using a normal leaf blower over a backpack – worth the extra? 

You’d be surprised how willingly you’ll be gifted a wheelbarrow on the likes of freecycle

When I married I took my wife’s surname, came back telling her it was the same price to change my 1st name at the same time.
I’m a Dan, was so tempted to change it from Daniel to Dangerous so that I could still be called the same but pedantically correct people that tried using the full Daniel.
To be clear, it was amusing for the juxtapose as I look like a failed accountant

Sounds all very familiar. Tests all negative for covid but mine has developed into Pluresy which has just written off Christmas and a ski trip that I’ve been looking forward to all year :(

[anagallis_arvensis]

@anagallis_arvensisyou must live very close to me.  I too choose Peach’s castle!

There’s a few farms hitting £5-6m around here but nothing as stately as some of the previous submissions

… mine isn’t (pod point from 12yrs back) but we’re out woop woop so it’s an unlikely scenario. I have padlocked my cable thou as it’d be annoying for that to be stolen

That’s what I intend doing @thepodge but my wife says we wait until my son is absolutely desparate to have a games console as at the moment he’s not

My experience is I bought a Ferrari to make some cheeky money, lost my shirt on it as bought at a terrible time and the market went elsewhere.  I wouldn’t have minded but really got no joy from driving it.

I guess what I’m saying is make sure you really really want it (that track day seems a good idea, as is itching the scratch now while you’re in good health)

You have to go out and drop litter the day before the annual village litter pick to make it feel like the volunteers are doing something worthwhile

Really impressed with your stamina Rusty.  I still go out for walks but only pick litter probably 1-in-5 of those as there’s so little around here.  I play golf once in a while and pick litter up as I go but that’s a little less benevolent than your motives  :)

@ffati. Fair, going for forewarned-is-forearmed. Some really good points in here I’d not considered so I’m glad I asked. It’s interesting the range of responses!

@chaos. Cheers, was thinking also a plastic sheet as there seems to be a bit of laying down in the YouTube vids.

I can’t add much DrP beyond not baselining against your existing rate or the standard variable rate (svr), rather against alternatives like octopus tracker which comes out historically about 30% less than svr without having to overly worry about pushing usage off peak. Just my tuppence

Daffy, that’s what’s wrong with my current ones – don’t recall what model but rattling.  Makes a change from the ear piece snapping I guess lol.

Thanks, if I hire car I’m kind of commited to a French rental as it cost me £150 for the 9 days hire and will now be over £500.  I’ve also got £115 sunk cost of parking.  Shared transfer is £400 incl Prodains.

I’m going to drive it [slowly] and will let you all know if I regret it! :)

Socks sound good, I’ll go that route given the option.

Thanks, I enjoyed it.  He didn’t even need to get deep at the end – it had already triggered an existential crisis how little appreciation/enjoyment I now have for life  :(

Hah Lodger, I was thinking exactly the same thing. It does encourage the wrong behaviour moving usage to 5-7 on a non savings day if your tariff allows.

I’m surprised they’ve not in some way stopped people discharging to game the event but I guess if this is all about maiming the availability in the network at peak times then the discharge of energy back into the network is beneficial

@ads678. That’s perfect, thank you

@skippy. Thanks, I had actually forgot I was meant to be enjoying it too – my mindset goes into Holiday Host mode worrying that the family are safe and have a good time.

@Kormoran. Wow, hadn’t even thought about that. Like you say, unlikely but would confuse the hell out of me so great to know.

@5lab. I now don’t know whether I’m worried about too much or too little snow!

…thank you by the way, to everyone – I appreciate your words.

@tfelotthgir. Yes, the wife negotiated it as she doesn’t want to go skiing really so didn’t want a coach.  I booked it way out so there wasn’t alot in it price wise but will see how it lines up now and what my canx options are, then maybe reopen conversations.  Thanks re: Prodains, we’re close to that lift so that would work and while I have underground parking booked already if it’s dodgy I’ll defo do that

@Skippy/FB-ATB.  Noted, I won’t be risking anything for the sake of an extra £100 so will Prodains it at the slightest sight of struggle. I’m taking the logic of prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

@mugsys.

winter tyres/chains – oh right, I declined the offer to pay extra from the hire car place with the thinking they’ll probably have one/both already.  I won’t leave Geneva without one/both.

route – Ooo, will check that route out – thanks.  My only logic was to go the route I’ve driven before (up from Cluses) but from what you’re saying if snow is heavy I may not even get much further than that.

Congrats, the comfiest ride of all Singletrackers!

p.s. ‘m unsure why I’m triggered so much by the word “couch”, it is an Americanism right?

@ Turbolard [sic] – thanks, then I may just hold off [putting] on the chains at all.  Yeah, I’m in the same space and it’s Mrs Idiot and Little idiot’s first time so we probably will only ski the village green runs and even then half the time.

@40mpg.  No, that’s very helpful, thanks.  I hadn’t thought to check if the hire car had snow tyres on then I guess chains are not mandatory (beyond, you know, clinging onto the hairpins in a blizzard).

Cheers Paino.  Good point: French side hire car as Swiss side seemed about 3x the price.

Ah, that’s a good idea- can let the fam go do that while I do my best Houdini impression with the chains.

That’s reassuring as I’d read online that it can often be treacherous – ironic, I want snow but not snow-snow

@DrKramer.  You had me on your last comment.  I’m in – thanks for contributing

@riddoch – may I guess, the right hand end breaking over the ear so it just dangled down? – that’s how I got thro the 1st two of mine.  I won’t give them any more money now since the warranty issue, I believe there are cheaper alteranatives that work just as well which i’ll be looking into